The hunt for Osama bin Laden is over, but the quest for credit is just getting started.

Just one day after the Navy SEALs’ daring raid, Democrats were already outlining plans to seize the opportunity to portray President Barack Obama as a decisive leader who should get full acclaim for green-lighting the assault that brought down bin Laden.

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POLITICO 44

But supporters of his predecessor, George W. Bush, are irked that the White House isn’t doing more to share the glory.

The subtle but unmistakable jockeying provided a revealing glimpse into how official Washington thinks: Even in a rare moment of national unity, the political stakes provide a temptation – and even an imperative – for the parties to jostle for maximum advantage.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Monday that once Obama took office, “he made sure that we would revitalize our focus on Osama bin Laden and the hunt for him.”

But a former top intelligence officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, asserted that Bush routinely asked him about bin Laden during Thursday morning briefings about CIA operations.

“I’d walk in there and he would just say, ‘So where are we on bin Laden?’” the official said. “He was very focused on it – this was always a top priority. I’d think, ‘Oh, hell – he asked me that again.’”

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the success resulted partly from Bush’s emphasis on improving relationships among the military service branches, and between the Pentagon and the CIA.

“The structures and processes that President Bush put in place were the right things to do, and are paying benefits,” Rumsfeld said in a telephone interview. “We began almost immediately putting an emphasis on special operators and Navy SEALs. … This kind of thing is cumulative over time – scraps of information. The intelligence that contributed to this may very well have been from the interrogation process that took place by the Bush administration.”

And dozens of statements Monday from Republican officeholders mentioned Bush’s role after 9/11 – with several even quoting Bush as saying, “Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.”

But one Democratic communications hand sent advice to a slew of other Democratic operatives in the wake of the announcement hammering on the need to make sure Obama comes out on top.

“In your day jobs, do not let Republicans turn this into continuing the Bush legacy. This has to be about Obama’s decisive leadership,” the guidance said. “He is the one who oversaw bringing bin Laden to justice, much like how Bush failed to do so at Tora Bora and then claimed Osama wasn’t a priority.”

For Democrats, the argument is critical because they don’t want to let credibility on national security issues slip back into their post-Vietnam home in the Republican Party. And they need to fight the insinuation, fed by recent NATO action in Libya that one official characterized as “leading from behind,” that Obama is a weak leader.

Readers' Comments (381)

Does anyone really think Obama is going to share anything? It is all about ME. He is the ME president and there is no W in ME.

Look, the Code Pink President and his followers get a morning full of military like elation and patriotism. That's good for once because for the first time in thier lives they are proud of their country.

Now having said that, are we supposed to believe that Osama has been living an luxurious mansion next to a major military academy in Pakistan, with high walls and as mysterious as Barry Soetoro's Birth certificate, and neither the US intel or Pakistan knew anything about who was there for several years? Then all of a sudden on 5/1/11, they get a clue and attack.

Give us a break we weren't born in a barn. The US had to know where Osama was for YEARS and only now decided to make some kind of move, if in fact this story really isn't days old and we are just getting it.

Futhermore, there was probably some dozen Al Queda leaders that are probably happy that Osama is gone and they can move up the ladder. Osama probably even set up several cells to go into action upon his death. So, I guess I just don't get all excited that some half retired Al Queda guy is dead. But like I said, if it helps the Code Pink Presidency feel good about their country for the first time in their lives, then that can't be too bad.

Now is Barry Soetoro going to explain to us what happened after he was adopted at the age of 5? There is still some mysteries about Obama you know. The real mystery in the last 3 years is not where Osama has been hiding out, because with a 20K budget and a Pakistani translator I probably could have gone over there and figured that out, what is the mystery is why Obama has hidden everything for 3 years, and is only slowly putting out strange documents and being truthful about his past. That is the real mystery.

Because there is no big GOP candidate, it doesn't matter. If Republicans try to make this a Bush vs Obama issue like the democrats did during the election, they will lose. Just congratulate President Obama on this victory and concentrate on the govt. spending problem. FOCUS ON WHAT AFFECTS OUR FUTURE!

It did not happen during eight, I repeat, eight years of the Bush administration.

It was not even close to being a shared effort. Bush has had no power, no influence from the WH for three years now.

This is Obama thunder, not Bush's.

Underlying both administrations has been unrelenting effort by intelligence agencies to track bin Laden. Only that might be considered "shared" accomplishment. But still, it was the CIA under an Obama appointee (Panetta) who made this long-desired result a reality.

But a former top intelligence officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, asserted that Bush routinely asked him about bin Laden during Thursday morning briefings about CIA operations.

“I’d walk in there and he would just say, ‘So where are we on bin Laden?’” the official said. “He was very focused on it – this was always a top priority. I’d think, ‘Oh, hell – he asked me that again.’”

This is embarrassing. I'm actually embarrassed for Bush. I watched the video of him discounting the importance of getting Bin Laden. It's a very difficult case to make when you didn't get him, said it wasn't important, and your predecessor says it's important and gets him, that you deserve credit. I want to give Bush credit, but they are really reaching here.

I think it's best to just let Bush/Cheney make fools of themselves one more time. They can't really be stopped. It's instinctual.

I like your post, captain, and your nudge toward civil discussion. Good to see that..

Thanks, know. It's sad that people would much rather go back and forth over something trivial like who deserves credit for killing Osama when we're so deep in debt. When did political blame/credit become more important than solutions?

In my opinion if the Republicans want credit for this, then an argument can be made is that the deserve credit/responsibility for the economy. There can't be double standards when, when it'ts good its because of us but when its bad its because of them. When and if the economy improves who is going to claim credit...? You can't have it both ways but then again thats politics.

Maybe Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld can all rewrite their fake memoirs and try to take more credit for Bin Laden's death.

Let's face --- the Bush administration was filled with poltical hacks and hangers on who were for the most part incompetent. Ironic isn't that, after 10 years, trillions of dollars, and thousands of American lives --- all wasted because of the Bush administration, that it is Obama who oversees a stealth mission to get rid of Bin Laden in Pakistan.

If Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell and all were not so incompetent this would have happened years ago, perhaps in Tora Bora.

So the Bushies can whine and cry, but again and again, Obama proves that he is made of the right stuff.

I am delighted that such a competent president, Obama, was able to replace Georgie boy, one of the most incompetent presidents in US history.

Obama during the 2008 campaign: "If the United States has al Qaeda, (Osama) bin Laden, top-level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out." (September 26)

McCain’s response: "(Obama) said that he would launch military strikes into Pakistan. Now, you don't do that. You don't say that out loud. If you have to do things, you have to do things, and you work with the Pakistani government."

If you can't blame Bush for the economy,you can't give him credit for bin laden!!!

I don't want to get into the mud-slinging, but these two things aren't even related. If you were saying "If you can't blame bush for the war in Iraq, you can't give him credit for Bin Laden" I would agree.